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We often hear people claim physical therapy is the same as chiropractic treatment. While both professionals deal with the treatment of pain and injury, the methods used and training of the physical therapist and chiropractor are drastically different. At Layton Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, we focus on identifying the most effective treatments for pain and inflammation. Our goal is to identify the treatments that work for your body and accelerate healing time.

Specializing in Soft Tissue Injuries

Physical therapists are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries. We often work with soft tissue injuries related to the muscles, ligaments, fibrous tissue, tendons, nerves, fascia, blood vessels, and synovial membranes. Soft tissue injuries can occur from something as simple as failing to stretch before a workout to something more extreme. Soft tissue injuries commonly occur when you have an unexpected or uncontrolled movement, such as tripping while walking upstairs and injuring an ankle.

When you are dealing with a soft tissue injury, it is common to feel immediate pain or delayed swelling. Typically patients will have stiffness within 24-48 hours following the injury. The recovery time from a soft tissue injury varies based on the extent of the injury and the treatment plan you are following. In the majority of cases a grade 1 soft tissue injury normally recovers in about two weeks. A grade 2 injury can take upwards of four weeks. We recommend visiting our physical therapy office in Layton for additional information related to your injury. Our experts will work with you to determine the extent of the injury and figure out how to accelerate healing time to get you back to doing the activities you love.

Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries

We use Dry Needling and a variety of techniques to effectively treat soft tissue injuries. We want to ensure you receive the best possible treatment for your injury. Physical therapy is designed to speed up the process for an injury and prevent long-term care and potential surgery needs. Our experts will discuss the best method with you regarding active rest, total immobility, and other needs for soft tissue rehabilitation. Having gentle, controlled motion and exercise is the best way to stimulate the overall healing process and prevent additional damage.

The use of specific manual therapy techniques is commonly used to restore motion to the impacted area. We will provide other treatments to reduce swelling and manage inflammation. Dry Needling is commonly used by our physical therapist to aid in managing pain, reducing inflammation, and restoring normal range of motion. In addition to a restorative treatment program, we will discuss at-home techniques you can do to aid in the healing process. Our goal is to restore the muscles ability to respond and move properly within the body.

What Chiropractors Provide

Chiropractors are different from physical therapists as they focus on adjustments and various techniques that may be able to reduce the pain in your body and assist in helping you move more freely. However, when it comes to long-term pain relief, chiropractors do not provide the same services you will receive from a physical therapist. Normally a chiropractic treatment can help patients feel good for a day or two, but often have the stiffness and pain return in a day or two. Without proper treatment for the injury sustained, the healing process will not work effectively. At Layton Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, we focus on helping your body return to its pre-injury status and help you become capable of withstanding the day-to-day forces you face in your life.

Have you considered using dry needling as part of your treatment plan? Dry needling is one of best treatments used to aid in reducing pain, strengthening the muscles, and helping you feel your best!

We have compiled a list of five things that you should know about dry needling:

In the world of rehabilitation dry needling is a treatment strategy that is one of the most effective techniques. The practice has been around for decades, but recently has grown in popularity due to effective treatments in Neuro-Musclo-Skeletal function.

With the improvements that continue with dry needling, it has helped out other models and methods for pain or dysfunction. These methods and models include; myofascial trigger point model, spinal segmental sensitization model, and the radiculopathy model.

Dry needling has a major goal of making super sensitive structures in the body desensitized. Through desensitization, motion and function are restored to help the tissue receive a healing response.

It may appear that dry needling resembles Acupuncture, however, it is completely different. Acupuncture is used to help the Flow of Energy find balance. Flow of Energy or Life Force flows in your body through pathways. dry needling is different in the sense that it treats neuromusculoskeletal systems by detecting the patterns of pain. It is all based upon a physical examination.

There have been world class athletes that are being treated with dry needling. They have received pain and dysfunction relief through this technique. As dry needling grows in popularity, more patients are finding long-term pain relief from several ailments that have been bothering them for years.

Dry Needling: It’s History and Foundation

Dr. Janet Travell is credited with the conception of dry needling in the early 1940s. Dr. Travell was performing “wet needling” and discovered that dry needing at muscular trigger points and referral patterns provided similar results. She along with Dr. David G. Simon are credited with the creation of dry needling through their groundbreaking work of correct trigger point injection treatments.

Dry needling is defined as a “method using a filament needle to penetrate the skin.” The needle will stimulate the myofascial trigger point while also penetrating the muscular and connective tissues. By stimulating these trigger points the neuromusculoskeletal pain and impaired movements are managed and able to restore range of motion. If you are experiencing dysfunctions in skeletal muscle, fascia, and connective tissue, dry needling is an effective treatment method.

Dry Needling Benefits

The body manages stress in a variety of ways, one of which is holding stress in the muscles. Dry needling is one of the best treatment methods to relax the muscles by balancing the central nervous system. One out of two adults in the United States suffers from musculoskeletal disease. Adults over the age of 65 will end up dealing with twice the amount of musculoskeletal problems. Pain management methods often include medications and some massage treatments. The problem with such methods is that they do not identify the root cause of the pain. Dry needling not only focuses on eliminating the current ailment, but identifying what might be causing the problem initially.

Dry needling focuses on restoring range of motion, improving mobility, and offering pain relief. Dry needling treatments have been used on a variety of patients suffering from chronic aches and pains to several medical issues including MS.

Our team of experts works directly with our patients to ensure a correct treatment plan is developed. We use dry needling as a diagnostic instrument to find the muscle spasm and help it to stop contracting. Trigger points with contracting muscles will not show up in an x-ray, which is why dry needling is the best option available to find and stop the muscle from causing additional pain.

Dr. Alan Kerbs is certified in dry needling and can find areas deep within the muscle tissues where contracting is occurring. There are textures within the muscle groups that only a trained professional can feel to understand what is happening and how to treat it. Only a trained professional should perform dry needling.

How Dry Needling Differs from Acupuncture

Pain patterns and dysfunction are common in your muscles, and without correct treatment, they will end up leading to additional pain and ailments throughout the body. Dry needling is a treatment method designed to manage pain within the neuromusculoskeletal systems. Dr. Kerbs will perform a physical assessment during an examination to determine if dry needling is the best practice for your condition. We will take photographs and document changes within your body during treatment to show how dry needling has worked, and how it has been able to improve your body.

A common misconception about dry needling is that it is the same thing as acupuncture. This is not the case as the two treatments are designed to treat different conditions. Dry needling techniques are designed to focus on treating the root cause of a muscle pain while acupuncture is designed to find the flow of energy within a patient’s body. Acupuncturists will place needles in precise areas of the body where energy flows, focusing on balancing the energy throughout your body.

Acupuncture is primarily associated with Chinese Medicine with centuries of different practices spanning the centuries. Dry needling is a modern, scientific technique with research-based conclusions to effectively treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. While both treatments use needles, there are NO historical ties to one another as they are completely different treatments.

Why Dry Needling is an Effective Treatment

Now that you know the history and origins, you may be wondering if dry needling is a treatment method you should try? Here are some of the common questions we ask our clients when evaluating if you may be a patient for dry needling:

Do you experience pain on a daily basis?

Does your pain limit you from enjoying your day-to-day living?

Are you currently taking medications to cope with muscle pain?

The truth is no amount of creams, muscle relaxers, patches, opioids, and heat-therapy pools will be enough to get to the root source that is causing pain within your muscles. We recommend you contact our Layton physical therapy office to schedule a consultation relating to dry needling. Upon receiving treatment, we always ask patients to be diligent with daily stretches assigned from Dr. Kerbs to assist in the overall healing process. Remember, aggressive stretching can hurt and can often make things worse, gentle stretching and following your individual patient treatment plan is the best way to restore mobility, reduce pain and inflammation, and finally get back to the game of life!

Have you been struggling to overcome crossfit injuries? We often see patients come into our Layton Physical Therapy office after a major crossfit injury. The problem often lies with several factors from the way in which a person is handling the injury to the way the body responds to an injury. Crossfit workouts are designed to be intense and they are going to push your body more than you have seen in the past. How you respond to those injuries will do a lot for you in the recovery process. Fortunately we see a lot of Crossfit injuries, and we have some tips on how you can manage them so you can get back to the game of life!

Understanding Crossfit

The first thing you need to do is understand what Crossfit is, and how it can help you get into shape. Crossfit is designed to create a comprehensive workout program based on aerobics, strength training, core building, and balancing exercises. The core of the program is made up with variation, meaning you should not be performing the same workout more than once a week. The majority of people will spend 60 minutes performing Crossfit exercises a day or at least five days a week.

Common Crossfit Injuries

The second thing you need to know about Crossfit is that it does come with a handful of injuries. We often see people in our physical therapy office after they have injured something after exercising. Usually the individual will have an intense strain or sprain. Other people can end up with serious back pain and performance problems related to Crossfit injuries. Here are some of the most common injuries we see when people come in with Crossfit problems:

Tennis Elbow – This is one of the top injuries related to Crossfit. Tennis elbow often occurs after repetitive strain. We can treat tennis elbow without the need for surgery. Correct stretching and treatments will aid in improving problems with tennis elbow.

Achilles Tendinitis – If you are experiencing Achilles tendinitis pain, you need to call our Layton physical therapy office immediately. We often see patients in the office after they have performed a few too many high jumps. Here are some of the most common ankle treatments we implement following Achilles strains and sprains.

Rotator Cuff Tendinitis – While Crossfit patients tend to be on the list for rotator cuff problems, we often see middle age and senior patients. We will evaluate the extent of your injury to determine the best treatments. Dry Needling is one of our most popular treatments that has been able to reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling.

Physical Therapy Treatment for Crossfit Injuries

The best thing you can do after dealing with a Crossfit injury is to call Layton Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine. Our team is here to help you on your way to preventing future injuries and to help you on the road to recovery.

Are you currently dealing with excruciating hip pain? At Layton Physical Therapy, we provide effective treatments for hip pain. We use functional treatments designed to help your body move properly, and feel it’s best. People dealing with pain in the hip are often told they need surgery. Our goal is to help our patients avoid surgery if it is possible. We want to ensure your body works and feels great. Using the right physical therapy treatments, we may be able to delay or prevent surgery on your hip. We also work with patients after surgery to ensure they receive the right treatments to feel better and recover faster.

Hip Pain and Exercise

We have found that individuals with hip osteoarthritis will benefit greatly from moderate physical therapy. In 2013 the Annuals of the Rheumatic Diseases did a study related to exercise and hip osteoarthritis. The study concluded that patients who exercised at least one hour twice a week for 12 weeks saw a 44 percent decrease in the need for hip surgery compared to those that did not exercise. Patients who are actively exercising will see an improvement in flexibility and the performance of physical activities.

We create individual treatment plans designed to improve physical function and postpone the need for total hip replacement in some patients based on how well their body responds to treatments. A complete recovery following a hip replacement can be time consuming for some people. We work with and your body to create a unique program that will strengthen your body and help you on the road to recovery. We work on improving hip strength, protecting your new joint, and finding ways to help with your day-to-day living.

Hip Replacement Post Surgery Layton

If you receive hip replacement, our physical therapy office in Layton is here to help. You now have a polyethylene or plastic hip, which needs to have the right exercises to prevent pain. It is difficult to say which treatments we will use if we do not see your hip. Contact our office to schedule an examination to discuss your case. We work directly with our patients to find ways to improve your hip and help you enjoy a longer, more active lifestyle.

Did you notice along with many other viewers of the 2016 Olympics the welts that decorated Michael Phelps upper back and shoulders? Many viewers along with the media were enthralled by the red circles that looked to be the size of tennis balls. Those welts came about because of a cupping a technique used by physical therapists to invigorate blood flow to specific areas of the body. Thanks to Michael Phelps, this therapy has become trendy, however the practice has been around dating back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures.

History of Cupping

Cupping is a method of healing developed over time. This form of healing began with hollowed out horns of an animal that would siphon any toxins that came from snake bites or skin lesions. It evolved from animal horns to bamboo cups that were then eventually replaced by glass. There are records dating back to 28 AD that shows the Chinese believe that acupuncture and cupping would cure half the ills of life. The Chinese deeply believed that cupping was a way of providing a defense for a body’s immune system.

The Egypitians also employed the cupping practice and used it for vertigo, menstruation, fever, pain, weakened appetite and imbalances. The practice became widespread from Egypt throughout the centuries than moved in to Europe and eventually to America.

Methods of Cupping Therapy

Even though cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine, the practice continues to be improved and implemented. The different kinds of cupping therapy are:

Wet

Dry

At our physical therapy office in Layton, we perform the dry cupping method. We use alcohol because of its level of flammability and get a small flame on the glass cup. As the flame burns out we put the cup on your skin upside down as to induce suction to your skin as the air inside the cup cools. Your body will react to this and your skin will become red and will rise because your blood vessels are espanding. In our practice, we leave the cup standing in place for 3 minutes.

Millions of Americans suffer from back pain. This type of pain can become so crippling that it may lead you to search for medicines and methods you can use to relieve the pain. A number of people will try stretching and inversion therapy before they contact us. If we can offer any advise related to back pain, don’t wait! Contact our office immediately as you could be doing your body a great disservice. At Layton Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, we specialize in treating back pain and a variety of ailments. It is our job to ensure your back feels good and is working the way it should! Here are some of our back pain treatment methods and at-home tips to use to help you get back to the game of life.

Active Physical Therapy – Back Pain Exercises

Some of our clients are able to perform in office and at-home back stretching services. We focus on active physical therapy to aid in rehabilitating the spine. Patients suffering from low back pain need active physical therapy as it helps with exercising and stretching the spine. If you are not performing the exercises properly, it can lead to extensive pain or could injure other areas of the spine or body.

Passive Physical Therapy

Passive physical therapy is determined when there is the need for heat application, ice packs or electro-stimulation to assist in reducing pain, inflammation and swelling. Heat tends to loosen the muscle, preparing it for stretching. We also use dry needling, which allows us to alleviate pain and inflammation in the muscles.

Physical Therapy Before and After Surgery

We recommend all patients dealing with back pain should visit with Dr. Kerbs before and after surgery. There is substantial evidence supporting the benefits of physical therapy and exercise before and after surgery. Our goal is to improve the strength of your back, hopefully preventing you from needing surgery. However, if surgery is required, our post-operation procedures are designed to reduce the recovery time.

Contact Layton Physical Therapy today for more information about your back pain physical therapy treatment needs. Our Layton office is conveniently located off 1200 West in Layton, next door to Country Cleaners.

Dry needling and cupping are some of the top treatments we provide to help patients feel better and get back to the game of life! If you are experiencing pain or long-term aches and pain, contact our Layton physical therapy office. We have a variety of treatments that will be able to reduce inflammation and improve mobility.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is one of our in-office treatments we use to assist patients with pain in the muscles and fascia. Dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal system need physical therapy treatment as they will continue to cause pain, inflammation, and swelling. Dry needling involves the use of filament needles that are directly inserted into the skin with the aim at targeting the dysfunction and reducing pain, improving mobility, and restoring function. Dry needling works and will be able to restore healthy function to the tissues that are effected, which allow the patient to feel better faster.

What is Cupping?

Cupping is an effective, gentle way that will is used to restore function, improve mobility, improve flexibility, and restore movement. Flexibility in the soft tissue aids in helping your body to function properly and naturally. Cupping is a great way to reach the cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

Cupping is relatively new for many people, but it is actually an old practice as it started from traditional Chinese medicine. Cupping works through the use of heat or suction to create a vacuum against the skin. The glass is placed on the skin and the heat helps to gently lift the skin and helps to penetrate the underlying tissues. As the heat gently penetrates the muscle, it breaks up cross linkages between tissue layers. As the cross links are fixed, it aids in flexibility. Cupping will also help to improve hydration of the tissues and does reduce additional cross linkages from occurring.

When the treatment is over, you will have some small red residual marks on the skin. We are seeing several Olympic athletes using this treatment method during the Olympics as it does aid in flexibility and allows them to perform at a higher level.

Schedule a Physical Therapy Appointment

One of the best things you can do is contact our Layton Physical Therapy team for a consultation. We will discuss your health and different treatments that will be able to improve your health and help you get back to the game of life!

Have you been injured in a car accident? Physical therapy is one of the best treatments to consider if you have been injured and want to restore your body to its proper state. The body is a complex system of muscles and bones and there is not always a single treatment that will help everyone. When you visit our Layton office for auto accident treatment, we will discuss the injuries you sustained and will establish goals to bring your body back to its correct state. Here are some of the treatments we like to use when dealing with patients injured in auto accidents.

Common Injuries After a Car Accident

We treat a number of patients for car accident cases. Quite often we treat patients for the following auto accident injuries:

Whiplash

Neck pain

Shoulder pain

Arm pain

Leg pain

Ankle pain

The injuries will vary from patient to patient, which is why we have so many different treatments available to ensure you are given the best treatments for your injuries.

Treatments for Car Accident Injuries

When you visit Layton Physical Therapy, we will start with an evaluation to determine the extent of your injuries. Our goal is to find the problems so we can find the best solution! We want to bring you back to the game of life by restoring function, mobility, and reducing pain. Some of the treatments we prefer include the following:

Custom treatment plan- the customized treatment plan will include a variety of stretching and physical therapy treatments designed around your body and your injury. We will discuss the mobility that you need to have in the region where you have sustained an injury, and we will focus on finding physical therapy treatments that work.

Dry Needling – this is one of our favorite treatments as it helps to penetrate deeply into the muscle tissue where you are experiencing pain.

Cupping- for patients looking for ways to improve range of motion, we recommend using cupping as it helps to relax the muscles and break up tissue that is hindering your movements.

Physical therapy is one of the best treatment methods to help patients before or after surgery, but did you know it can be used to prevent injuries? Now that summer is in full-swing, we are seeing patient after patient with a variety of injuries from hiking, biking, swimming, golf, running, and just enjoying the outdoors. Physical therapy treatments offer an effective way to prevent some serious aches and pains and improve or restore range of motion and flexibility.

Our Layton Physical Therapy office is designed around our patient’s needs. We often deal with patients coming to avoid surgery, or hoping to improve range of motion and mobility. Our goal is to not only meet your goal but to exceed it. In the summer we often see an increase in ankle sprains, back injuries, and more. Using a variety of techniques and strengthening programs, we are able to reduce pain and break down scar tissue.

Preventing Summer Injuries

We love patients that are looking for ways to enjoy their active lifestyles, but we always recommend you play smart! Simple things like stretching before you slalom ski or wakeboard can prevent you from straining your back and shoulders. Learning how to prevent injuries is the best way to focus on staying fit and enjoying your summer. If you have mobility issues, we can help. Schedule a consultation and we will evaluate your current range of motion to determine the best stretching and treatment method to improve your health.

Stretching the Muscles

The best way to prepare your body is to focus on stretching and gradually introducing your body to vigorous activity. If you tend to be sedentary, suddenly getting up and running a 5K can place some major strain on your muscles. Taking a few minutes to do some stretches will allow the muscles to loosen and warm up before you do put it to work playing this summer.

Wear the Right Clothing

Another reason why people become injured is due to their clothing. If you want to go out for a run, wear loose fitted clothing that allows the muscles to breathe. Your shoes play a critical role in your ability to participate in your favorite summer sports. Check on the tread of your shoes and ensure they do have plenty of wear left in them.

Know the Terrain

Hikers often come into our office with wrist strains, knee pain, and ankle injuries. The majority of patients will trip or slip when they are hiking. While you will not be able to prevent all of the injuries that can occur when hiking due to the terrain, you can focus on watching your step! Watching your step can help you stay balanced and could keep you from a serious hiking injury.

Have you already been injured this summer? Layton Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine is here to help! Our physical therapy team will show you the proper stretches you need to help your muscles heal more quickly. Our goal is to help you get back to the game of life and enjoy the rest of the summer pain free!

Now that spring is ending and summer is rolling in, we are seeing several patients come into our office with hiking injuries. Staying safe in the mountains is essential to prevent sprains and strains. Here are 6 common hiking injuries and how you can prevent them.

Ankle or Knee Sprain

A simple misstep can cause you to lose your balance and strain your knee or ankle. Sprained ankles and knee injuries can be prevented by wearing the right hiking shoes, pacing yourself, and watching the terrain as you hike. However, there are always exceptions! If you end up with a ankle or knee strain, our Layton physical therapy office can provide you with assistance. We specialize in restoring your ankle or knee to it’s full range of motion using a variety of modalities and physical therapy techniques.

Blisters

Another common injury when hiking is blisters. Blisters are caused when you are not wearing the right shoes. Always wear the correct hiking shoes that fit well and allow you to cover large areas of terrain without rubbing on your feet. We recommend performance sports socks to go along with your hiking shoes to ensure they fit snugly and do not have areas where they bunch up and cause blisters.

Wrist Sprain

When you fall, one of the first things you do is put out your hands to catch yourself. The problem with placing your hands in this position is that you can easily cause a strain, or worse, a broken wrist. We help patients with rehabilitation for wrist sprain, strains, and even broken wrists. Restoring the wrist back to its proper range of motion requires time, patients, and the right physical therapy treatment.

Dehydration

Every time you go hiking, always take plenty of water with you. Dehydration happens so quickly and it is easily prevented. If you start to feel thirsty, your body is already telling you it is dehydrated. Stay smart when it comes to hydration and plan on bringing a water-filled backpack. The problem with dehydration is how it can cause the muscles to start cramping up. When you are hiking and you end up with muscles that start tightening, it can wreck havoc on your body. You could end up with an injury in a different area because you were overcompensating for a different muscle that was starting to cramp. Our best recommendation is to follow the experts rule of thumb and drink 8 ounces every mile.

Skin Injuries

Coming home with a few bruises and scrapes is common after hiking. Skinned knees and elbows seem to be the most common skin injuries. Always watch your surroundings as you are hiking so you can prevent common skin injuries. Bring a small first-aid kit with you as it will allow you to treat any injuries you obtain while you are on the train. Our best tip is to always be mindful of the hike and watch out for loose rocks and tree branches.

Sunburn

Even if you think the majority of your hike is in the shade, you will still need sunscreen! Sunburn is always a danger and when the temperatures around Utah hit the triple digits, you are in trouble! Apply sunscreen before your hike and re-apply it during your hike. If you are hiking around the Wasatch Front in the hot heat of the summer, wear clothing that helps to block the sun’s harmful rays.

Utah has some of the best hiking trails around! We want our patients to get out and enjoy these beautiful hikes, but to stay safe while doing so. If you have an injury, call our Layton physical therapy team today for treatment. Our goal is to fix you up correctly so you can get out there and start hiking again!